


A Tale of Twin Roses

by Citron0



Series: SU Movie Alternate Takes [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Posting chapters when they're finished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-11-23 23:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citron0/pseuds/Citron0
Summary: Steven and Nora are twins, Rose is Pink Diamond, and shit's about to go off the rails.((I hate writing things verbatim- so watch out. I really mixed this up.))





	1. The Beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment below if you're interested. It's quite ambitious, so I've just been plotting out the story thus far.  
I'm going skip a lot of things. I **abhor** repeating things that you could basically watch the episodes to know.

Panting echoed from the inside of the carwash, Greg held Rose’s hand clutching it tight against his chest. She squeezed back, careful not to crush his in her vice grip. 

“Rose, it’s gonna be okay. You’re doing great.” _ ‘How long has it been already? She’s been in labor for hours.’ _

“Greg, I don’t want to lose the babies.”

“You’re not going to, they’re going to be fine.”

“Do you mind if we take out Nora first? I want to see her before I go.” Steven and her couldn’t both exist at the same time; he knew that, she knew that. Despite having nine months to prepare, it still felt too soon.

“I think I see her, you want me to cut the umbilical cord?”

“No need, I think it’ll disappear on its own when Steven’s ready to come out.” He didn't really want to know what would happen to Nora if it didn't, but he trusted her.

He saw a tuft of pink hair poking out, “Alright, I’m gonna grab her, keep pushing.”

“You’re doing great.”

Greg was quick to snap a photo of the two of them.

“Oh, she’s so beautiful, and she doesn’t even have a gem.” Rose cooed the child in her arms.

“The pink hair’s a little weird for a human to have.” Nora’s skin tone matched his a little more than her mother’s. Her hair was two different shades of pink: One like Rose’s and the other a much lighter shade, an almost-white; he hoped Nora didn’t have any health complications. At least the lighter color was exclusive to the underside of her hair; she could even dye it later if she wanted to.

“She’s perfect the way she is, just a little more Gem than I was expecting.”

“Is that possible?” How much Gem could she be? Not half, so maybe a quarter Gem?

“You can only wait and see. I’m so happy for her and Steven!” 

She nuzzled Nora, “It all sounds so exciting, to think, _two_ humans-," she gushed at the thought,_ "_ -so _ free_, so _ unrestrained _from ways of Gemkind, of Homeworld.” Her grip tightened slightly as she stiffened.

She winced and let out a sigh, “I think Steven’s ready,” She kissed Nora on the forehead, “Look after him, Nora.” 

Rose handed Greg Nora, he promptly wrapped her in a blanket, concealing her from.

The umbilical cord was the only thing visible from under her blanket, it was starting to dissipate into sparkles when Rose spoke again, “Farewell, Greg,” She slumped over and pressed her lips against his, “I love you.”

All Greg could see was a bright flash of pink, it filled the carwash like a bolt of lightning, he clenched his eyes shut until it was over. Steven cried with Greg, Rose Quartz was no more.

It was apparent immediately that Steven took more after Greg than Nora did, despite Steven being the one with Rose’s gem. Steven was born with a full head of dark brown hair, unlike his older sister. Eyes a pale periwinkle, Greg could see rhomboid shaped pupils peer up at him, he had only ever see them on Rose up close, masked by the dark pink, near-black of her eyes. Nora’s eyes didn’t share the same pupils, shining a pastel pink, a color neither Steven nor Rose possessed.

A couple of months later, they started looking darker, pinker and browner; Nora’s had retained a modest magenta, only darkening slightly in comparison.

* * *

The snow was coming down hard. Luckily, Vidalia was out of town visiting family, so he and the kids could crash at her place until she got back. It had been hard carrying for two babies without any prior experience. Vidalia had been really helpful, so far Steven and Nora have been behaving like normal human babies so that’s good. _ ‘Those two are glued together at the hip just about,’ _ he heated up their formula pulling it off the stove top after it started to boil.

“Alright babies,” he announced as he entered the living room, he held the two bottles in both hands, “Drink up.” 

Nora took her time as he held the bottle steady; as for Steven, the mad lad downed the whole thing in a less than a minute, “Whoa, whoa. Slow down, little guy.” 

After he finished, the infant wailed and wriggled in discomfort, “Hey, lil’ schtu-ball, doin’ a lot of dancing in there. You wanna get out of there and show me yo moves?” 

He unfastened the clasps of his onesie, Greg buttoned it up again only for Steven to undo it instantly. 

“Uh,” he gazed into the vibrant fuchsia of <strike>Rose</strike> Steven’s gem, “Does your gem need to _ breathe _?” 

He looked awfully uncomfortable, “Here, how about we try this?” The configuration was reminiscent a diamond. 

He scooped up their bottles and set it on the coffee table with a huff, “Rose, wherever you are now, I want you to know the kids are gonna be just fine. You can rest easy while they’re with me.” He leaned down and pecked Steven and Nora on the cheeks. He nestled the twins into his lap, their warmth on his was the only thing stopping him from crying; it was almost like Rose was there with him at that very moment. He closed his eyes and listened to the snow fall outside.

His heart leapt out of his chest when the door swung open.

“We’re _ here _!” The Crystal Gems entered with gifts in their hands.

“We have arrived” Garnet placed hers on the table.

“O-oh, hey, y’all.” Steven started to bawl, his face drooped, “You woke the kids.”

“Is that them? Which one’s lil’ Rose?” She approached Nora and pointed, “This one?”

“Amethyst, we’ve been over this.” 

She looked at the hybrid rested in the crook of his elbow, “Lil’ Greg?”

“_Amethyst_, Steven and Nora are?” Garnet dragged out the last syllable.

“Human babies.”

“Can I get you anything? Tea? Some old plates?” Garnet took a seat on the couch and stroked Nora’s hair. Amethyst joined in.

“No, we’re only here to drop off these gifts.” 

Garnet gave her first gift to Steven, “You’ll probably have to open that for him.”

She revealed two razors, “Whoa! Garnet, that’s very thoughtful, but they’re _ too young _ for these.” He glanced at the razors in his hand, are these both boy razors?”

“They’re better quality.”

“Fair point.”

“Let’s do mine next!”

“Diapers? Amethyst, this is so practical-,” he gave the box a once over, “-Are these _ adult _diapers? Amethyst, these are too big for them!”

“Then tell him to get bigger.” 

“You can do that, right,” she messed up his hair, “Lil’ Greg?”

“You can call him Steven and his sister? Well, that’s Nora. Those were the names we liked the most.”

“Doesn’t matter what you call _ it _, Nora will need this.”

Greg opened it, expecting a kids’ book but-, “Oh, a dictionary.”

“It’s apparent that this is the best gift for someone who can’t yet communicate.”

“Maybe you should use this instead, they’re too young for it,” he put on a fake grin, “And, hey, you could use it to find out what a _ baby _is.”

He set it down on Amethyst’s present, “The gifts are great, they just can’t use it.”

“But they will-,” Garnet smirked, “-in the future.” Light glinted off her shades.

Nora reached for Pearl’s nose, _ ‘Why couldn’t it have just been Nora? Why did _ ** _Steven _ ** _ have to be born too?’ _

“Yeah, well, right now, they’re really into this.” He pulled out his car keys and started jingling them. 

Steven and Nora were enthralled, “Next time, we’ll just bring a box of keys for ‘em.”

Pearl’s eyes softened when they fell on Nora, “They certainly are _ captivated _ by those things.” _ ‘ _ ** _Oh_ ** _ , how she looks so much like Rose.’ _

“Are they a handful?”

“The kids?”

“I heard you weren’t expecting _ two _,” Pearl ran her fingers through Nora’s fluffy mane, “maybe we could take one off your hands?”

“I appreciate the offer, Pearl, but I can handle things just fine.” He waggled the keys, dangling them just above Steven.

An effulgence shined contently from Steven’s gem.

He had been under the impression that Steven was just going to be a human with Gem traits like Nora, that the gem would be a dud. Rose had gone on about how human the kids were going to be **human** , _ maybe _she didn’t know?

The Gems were freaking out as he was, all spouting their theories as to what Steven was. Nora giggled when she returned to Greg blissfully unaware of what was occurring around them.

“What do human babies do when they glow?”

“They don’t? Here, let me look, Vidalia has some baby books I can sift through.”

He dashed into the kitchen, using the index to see if ‘glow’ showed up anywhere if at all.

_ ‘Erythema? No,’ _ He flipped to another page skimming its contents, _ ‘Fever? ooh that sounds bad.’ _

He walked back into the living room, book in hand, “Guys, if this is anything like a fever we might have to take him to a hospital.”

The room was empty, cold winds blew in from outside, even Nora was missing!

“My babies!” 

He grabbed a comforter and sprinted towards the door, “_Steven, Nora _ , my van!” His voice sounded raspy as he hollered at them from the driveway, “_Give me **back** my babies! _”

Greg tailed them before they could pick up enough speed to get away; adrenaline coursed through him as viciously as his blood. He lunged at the van, comforter around his neck, it blew in the breeze like a cape. 

Amethyst looked out the window, “Dude, he looks _ pissed_.”

“It’s for the best, he’s not fit for this task.”

“Good thing we left with no explanation, huh.”

The backdoors of the van were forced open on the other side, “Give me back my kids!”

Garnet’s words shook him out of his panic-stricken thoughts, “The situation has changed, Steven is clearly a Gem.”

“So? That isn’t an excuse to take Nora too! What’s the big idea!”

“You’ve done your best, but Steven’s better off being raised with us.”

Pearl added albeit tentatively from the driver’s seat, “We didn’t want to separate them.”

“What’s it matter if Steven’s a Gem, he’s human too.”

He clamped the fabric at the nape of his neck, teeth bared, “You can’t just take away that side of himself!”

“Greg,” Garnet placed a firm palm on his shoulder, “Steven isn’t like Nora, it-,” she hesitated adjusting her sunglasses, as if seeing something dreadful in Steven’s future, ”-isn’t safe for him around humans.” She couldn’t see far into Steven’s future, it had been veiled in shadow ever since Rose became pregnant. Sometimes she could peak through, but only on little details. Nora’s fate was uncertain too, but she could see much more of it than Steven’s.

“I understand what you’re getting at, it’s just-,” Steven grabbed the warm cloth draped around Greg’s shoulders, “He deserves to know that side of himself.”

“He _ will_, through _ you _and Nora.”

“Will that be enough?” 

“One can hope.”

“I don’t fully understand Steven either, but he’s just as human as he is Gem. If we want to cover our bases, we’ll have a better shot if do this together.”


	2. Homonyms.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Pearl get Nora ready for her first day of kindergarten, Steven is jealous. Amethyst takes him to a Kindergarten, not understanding the difference. Pearl freaks out.

“Nora, today’s the big day.” Greg was looking back and forth between her backpack and a .pdf entailing a school supply checklist. Pearl tied and adjusted the bow of her peach layered dress to make it symmetrical.

“How come I gotta wear dis dress?”

“First impressions are very important, Nora.” Pearl pointed her index finger to the sky, “You only get one, so you better make it a good one.” 

Greg brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “Don’t worry, sweetheart, after today, you won’t have to wear it ever again.”

“ _ Oh _ , that’s good.”

“Dad, why don’t I get to go?”

“Steven-,” Greg began wanting to tell him the truth, but Pearl interrupted, “You know you’re a  _ Gem _ , Steven. You have to be a  _ human  _ to attend a  _ human _ kindergarten.” According to Garnet, his superstrength, maugre not being fully developed, made him likely to injure kids if he roughhoused. Pearl knew better than to cross Garnet, as the de facto leader, as of Rose’s passing, Garnet usually knew how to best deal with a situation. Garnet insisted on Steven abstaining as much as he could from humans, and she couldn’t argue with Garnet.

“Pearl!” He glared at her, she had no right to mock him.

“What? It’s  _ true _ !”

“That’s not-,”

“But Nora’s not human neither?”

“Yes, but she’s  _ more human _ than you.”

“So? I’m half, if Nora gets to go, why can’t I?” He turned to his father with pleading eyes, “Dad, tell her I can come!”

Saying ‘no’ to that face is not a task for the faint of heart, “Steven, you can’t go,” he rubbed the back of his balding head with his free hand as he zipped up Nora’s bag, “you know that.”

“It’s not fair!”

“I know, but you don’t have your shots, kiddo. You’d be turned away at the door if they found out. Herd immunity and all that- they made us attend a  _ seminar _ .” He had gone with Garnet instead of Pearl, but his point stood.

“Oh,  _ yes _ ,” Pearl agreed wholeheartedly despite it only being the first time she had heard of it, “besides, gems don’t fall ill.”

“Why don’t I? I’m human-,” he faltered, “sorta.” 

“We gems are  _ inorganic _ , pathogens can only infect  _ organic  _ lifeforms.”

“But, I have allergies?” Wasn’t he organic? He ate food and slept, his lip twitched, sometimes.

“That’s different, that’s your immune system attacking itself.”

“That doesn’t sound cool.” 

“It’s not. Anyway, you don’t get sick, but you can be a carrier! We don’t want you getting kids sick!”

“How’s that make sense?” The toddler furrowed his eyebrows, “How can they get sick if I’m not sick?”

Pearl wove her slender fingers together, “Think of it this way, why do you have to wash your hands every time you use the restroom?”

“The toilet’s dirty and I get p-,”

“ _ Yes, yes _ , you see?” She waited for him to nod, he did not, “You were contaminated.”

“What’s that mean?”

“You hands were  _ dirty _ , Steven. You were a reservoir or rather a fomite- it’s not really thriving on your surface,” Steven blinked uncomprehendingly, “You-,”

Greg took the reigns, “What Pearl is _ trying to say i _ s that there were germs on you and if you touched anything- and someone else came across it- they’d get sick from it.” 

“Exactly, and without any immuno-  _ shots _ , you could bring back something harmful for Nora or for Greg.”

Steven looked to his father for rapport, “Sorry, Schtu-ball, as much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. You have no idea how many people get sick from a handshake, Steven.” The boy looked at his hands horrified, “Wh-what if I just stay super clean? I wash my hands everytime I touch something?”

“That’s just going to dry your hands out, Steven.” 

“Wear gloves like Garnet or Pearl when she’s cleaning?”

“You won’t be able to write with gloves on, buddy.”

All out of ideas, Steven’s mood plummeted.

Greg noticed and caved slightly, “Oh, uh, b-but you can still ride in the van with us in the mornings, if you want?” His son perked up at that. 

_ ‘More time with Dad and Nora?’ _ Sounded like a win-win to him, “Yeah, let’s go!”

“Slow down, little man, you still need to buckle up.”

“Okay,” his youngest said with a whine, Steven never liked how it chafed his gem. Almost everything did, only Steven, the Gems and himself could touch it; and he always had to wash his hands before his son’s gem wouldn’t reject him. Greg had to buy a special blanket so Steven could sleep, but it had to be washed frequently in order to maintain its effects. Pearl was insistent on polishing his gem daily if they hoped to reduce its irritation; Steven found the process oddly calming if done properly. Greg wondered what Steven’s gem was to Steven, to the other gems, it was their true self as the rest of them was simply a physical manifestation of light. It was an organ of some sort for him, that’s all he knew on the subject.

The air buzzed as the van, which would still be their home until the beach house is done being built, gliding along the cement roads. 

Garnet said it would be done soon, and they could add the furniture. 

He gazed at the sunrise, deep in thought. Nora and he had lived in the van their whole lives, Steven wasn’t sure if he wanted to live anywhere else. He knew once they moved in, the Gems would become their primary caretakers. It sounded fun, but was it what he really wanted? He loved his dad, he didn’t want to stop living with him just for what? To live with the Gems instead? Why couldn’t his dad live with him? Surly, he didn’t like living in that itchy old van either, right?

Steven slapped his hands vigorously on his thighs as Greg wove their way through traffic on the way to Nora’s new school. Nora sat beside him with a alablaster backpack with rouge floral print depicting hibiscus flowers on her lap.

“You gotta tell me everything when you get back, Norie.” 

He waggled his finger at her, “Don’t leave anything out-,” he hummed, “-unless it’s boring, then you can leave it out.”

“Can do, bro.”

Greg chuckled at their antics, maybe everything was going to be alright. Those two can bear to be apart for eight hours, right?

As soon as they parked, Steven unbuckled his seatbelt and bolted out the left-side door, “Steven, no!” Nora barely had time to react, she blinked and her brother was gone. She, with nothing better to do, just headed to class.

His shirt‘s tie came loose from all the motion, it rubbed harshly against his gem despite barely touching it. In a state of discomfort, he tried to distract himself with all the new sights and sounds of the school. He had never seen anything like it, but he supposed it looked kind of like the carwash with its fluorescent lights and grey walls.

Greg ran after him hollering, “You’re not even registered!” He skimmed the crowd of children, hoping to see his son’s curly hair or even some glare coming off of his gem from the sun. Steven blended seamlessly into the hoarde; Greg wiped his brow, he was going to have to ask around.

“Have you seen my son?” He asked a teacher standing out the halls first, “He’s yae big,” he faced his palm downward to the height of his knee, “He’s got an oversized, sort of salmon or coral t-shirt with a yellow star in the middle.” The teacher shook his head, this was going to take a while.

“Hello there!” A cheery voice greeted Steven.

“Um, hi?” He fiddled with his shirt, he wanted to tie it up again but Dad said not to show his gem to strangers.

“Where are you headed?”

“I-,” he didn’t think that far ahead, “I dunno, wherever my sis went, I guess.”

“Do you know which class she’s in?” Heavy pants and footfalls rushed to Steven before he could say he didn’t know.

“Steven!” He grabbed his hand afraid he would wander off again, “Do-,” he paused to breathe, “-you have  _ any idea  _ how worried I was? I thought I  **lost ** you!”

He sighed, “Let’s go back to the wash.”

“Excuse me,” she began, “is your son not enrolled?”

“No, he’s homeschooled,” he leaned in and whispered to the instructor, “ _ got a health condition _ .”

“Oh, I see. Carry on then.”

Under the shade of the temple, Steven sat, arms hugging his legs with his chin resting on his knees.

“What’s up, little Ste-cup?” He usually came in the temple to play his ukelele in private, Amethyst noticed right away that it wasn’t on him. He only came for the comfort of knowing he belonged in the temple, if nowhere else.

“Why the long face, Ste-man?”

“Nora gets to go to kindergarten without me; _ it’s not fair! _ We’ve never done anything apart before!”

“Why can’t you go?”

“Pearl says it’s ‘cuz I’m a Gem, and Dad says it’s ‘cuz its dirty there and I’m gonna bring home something that’ll make him or Nora sick.”

“Well, I dunno about the second one, but I know we Gems are supposed to be hidden from humans. Rose had a  _ fence  _ up an’ everything before Greg  _ drove his van _ into it.” 

She laughed, ”You know, I know what we can do to cheer you up,”

“What?”

“If you can’t go to a  _ human _ kindergarten, why don’t I take you to a  _ gem _ kindergarten?”

Stars formed in the youngest Gem’s eyes, “Really?! You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah, sure. There’s no danger in it.” She swung her arm over her head, “ _ C’mon _ , let’s take the warp!”

“I’ve never taken the warp before, how do you use it?”

“Just think of where you want to go to and sorta-,” she gestured like she was pushing two invisible walls, “after a bit, you’ll do the rest subconsciously, you probably can’t use it yet ‘cause you don’t know where to go and ‘cause your gem isn’t ready yet.”

“When will it be ready?” He joined Amethyst on the warp pad.

“I dunno, someday, could be tomorrow, could not happen for a  _ while _ .” They were swallowed in light. 

Steven started to tumble in the air, so Amethyst grappled him with her whip. She chuckled nervously, “Can’t have you leaving the stream, now can we?”

“That would be  _ bad _ ,” she mumbled under her breath, “Garnet would  _ kill  _ me.”

"Here we are. The Kindergarten!" She dissipated her whip after they touched the ground. 

The area was desolate, devoid of all signs of life. Giant macrophage-esque structures laid dormant, embedded into the canyon's walls. Thick, chiffon fog made it hard to see far into the Kindergarten.

"Whoa,” it was so big, he craned his neck up to get a better look.

"Lemme show you something." He followed her through the Kindergarten.

"What did kindergartens do?"

"They made Gems, it’s kinda where I’m from." Hers was the lowest to the ground, whereas all the others were elevated at least somewhat into the sides of the valley.

“Look, it’s  _ my  _ hole!”

She entered her humanoid hole, "See? It's  _ me-sized _ !"

She sat down inside, “Still got that good hole smell.”

"Was  _ I  _ made here?" His hand found a cozy spot in the krook of the knot on his shirt.

"What?” She stepped out, “No, no. You and the lil rosebud were made differently."

"How  _ are  _ gems made?" 

"Well, the others didn't tell me everything, but what I  _ do _ know is that they find an area rich with minerals, inject some goop in using those things-," she pointed to the nearest injector, placing her hand on one of its legs, "-and then they pop out.”

"Could we make more gems here?" ‘ _ That would be so cool! More people to hang out with! _ ’ The Gems were great, but there were only three of them and that gets  _ boring _ when they’re all busy.

"Nah, this place was shut down during the Gem War, when I emerged, I was the only one left. I came out so late that the war had already ended. These things are probably busted by now." His hand reached out to touch her plum skin; it was faintly warm like the embers of a bonfire. 

"Was it scary?" Amethyst glinted into those dark, rhodamine-rosewood eyes.

"No, but it was lonely for those hundreds of years I spent here before your mom and the others found me."

"My mom found you?"

"Yeah, I guess she was doing a sweep or something; I'll tell you more about it when you're older." She petted the rock closest to her spot.

“Was my mom made here too?”

“I think so?” she answered uncertain. 

“Quartz soldiers like you and me, we come out in what Rose called Geodes, all the other Amethysts made here are or were in my Geode; you and Nora are kind of like Geodemates."

"Geodemates?"

"Yeah, you came from the same source and you two are both Gems, you more so because you actually got one- but you know what I mean."

Steven scrunched his eyebrows in thought, "So your Geode is like your family, huh?"

Amethyst blinked, "Oh  _ yeah _ , I guess so. It'd be nice to meet some of the fam someday. Who knows, maybe someday."

"You think they're like you?"

The warp pad activated from afar, Pearl shouted before gracefully jumping down and entering a brisk walk to their location, "There you are!” 

“Great, here comes the fun police.”

“Garnet said you'd be here, but I didn’t want to believe it."

Steven hid behind Amethyst, “Amethyst, what were you thinking bringing Steven to a  _ kindergarten _ ?”

“You wouldn’t let him go to a human one.”

“Pearl? Are you mad? I know you said you didn’t want me to go to the human kindergarten with Nora, but Amethyst said it was okay. Please don’t be mad at her.”

Pearl looked mad but it wasn’t directed at him, “How much did you tell him?”

“What? You mean about the _bad_ _thing_? How this _bad_ place is where _bad_ _Gems _came to grow more _bad_ _Gems_? Is _that _what you’re talking about?”

“Bad? Why’s it bad? Weren’t all you guys made here? My mom too?”

“No, Steven, your mother wasn’t made here. Garnet and myself weren’t either.”

“Oh. Then where?”

“When you’re older, Steven, you’re not ready.”

“Why is she mad, Amethyst?”

“Oh, don’t worry about her. Everything’s  _ fine  _ now.”

“Amethyst-!”

“It all worked out,”

“Stop-,” 

“We  _ won _ .”

“Stop-,” 

“We shut this place down so the Earth would be safe from parasites like me.”

“Amethyst, that’s enough!”

“Am I a para-sight too?” Tears swelled in his eyes, “Is that bad?” He suspired, “Is that why Pearl doesn’t like me!?” He clung to her black pant leg.

“Steven, I’m sorry. I never wanted you to see this horrible place.”

“Amethyst? I’m scared. Why is it bad for gems to be made here?”

Amethyst drew her whip and threw Pearl away from Steven into an injector leg.

“Lemme drop you off at the temple, I don’t want you to see this.” She lifted Steven in her arms as they warped back. He held on tight to her long sleeves, ‘ _ Pearl was scary _ .’

“Why did Pearl say it was bad? Dad says it’s usually a good thing when humans are born. Why isn’t it the same way with Gems?”

“Pearl’s just being Pearl. Don’t worry,” she ruffled his hair, “I’ll tell her off, she can’t keep treating us like this.”

Just like that she was gone.

“Admit it,” she slashed at the spot where Pearl was fresh off the warp pad, “I’m just an embarrassment to you.”

“I don’t want to fight you.” An ornate spearl was summoned from her gem.

She drew another whip, “I wouldn’t want to fight me neither.” Her hair encased her as she shot herself at Pearl in a spinning orb of hair and violet fire. Pearl dodged effortlessly and starting firing shots with her spear. Pearl performed a jump kick, Amethyst evaded but that left her open for a hard whack on the back of her head.

“Amethyst-,” The taller gem spun her spear about, “-stop this. You  _ can’t  _ beat me.”

The smallest Crystal Gem thrusted the three-spiked whips at her adversary again fixing Pearl to the spot, “ _ I. Don’t. Care! _ ” She entered a somersault as she let go of her whips to get behind her. The sheer force caused Pearl to tumble forwards. The quartz Gem charged into her, knocking the older Gem off her feet, the leather-like substance wrapping around Pearl. She swung the servant-class gem into an elevated injector, it jostled some but remained in place.

“I’m not gonna stand there as you remind me of everything I  _ hate about myself _ !”

Before Amethyst could restrain her, Pearl dislodged the injector from above. She squirmed in the studded ropes of her foe for a moment before they went slack.

Amethyst had been crushed under the weight of the injector.

Pearl, dusted herself off and headed back towards the warp pad. ‘ _ Amethyst will reform on her own, _ ’ she mused as she left the other Gem wedged between a rock and a hard place.

Steven had been looking forward to chatting with Amethyst after Pearl had gotten a talking to, but Pearl came back through the warp alone. There was a light layer of dust on her clothing, ‘ _ they must’ve fought, _ ’ he thought, and Pearl was victorious. 

Steven backed away, intimidated. He wouldn’t say he was cowering, but then again. He wasn’t going to forego the safety and distance granted by the wooden support pillar; at least, not yet.

“Wh-where’s Amethyst?” He almost didn’t want to say anything at all, his voice was small and his throat was dry. The air’s, previously laiden with sawdust, smell grew stale as she stepped closer.

“I don’t want you spending time with her, Steven.” Her voice, low and ominous- in Steven’s opinion.

“Why not?” ‘ _ At least Amethyst took the time to hang out with him! All Pearl cared about was  _ Nora _ , _ ’ not that he envied her that much.

“Why not?! Why not?! Steven, she’s a bad influence!” He took a step back, ‘ _ one step back was one step closer to the door _ ,’ his mind said to him in a sing-songy tone.

“Why didn’t she come back with you?” He wished Garnet was there to hide behind, Pearl was so tall.

“She needs some time  _ alone-- _ to  _ think _ .” He didn’t like the sound of that.

“And you-,” 

‘oh boy here it comes’

“-need to spend your time with  _ better  _ crowds.” He grimaced.

“Like, <strike>me</strike> Garnet and I.”

“What’s wrong with hanging out with Amethyst?”

“What isn’t wrong with her?” He flinched at her tone.

“She’s impulsive, crude, vulgar, and  _ un _ fit to be  _ near  _ you!”

“Why are you so mean to her, Pearl? Gems shouldn’t fight.” She chuckled, ‘ _ if only he knew. _ ’

“I’m, I’m-,” his hands tremble as he fiddles with the door handle, ”Bye.”

“Wait, Steven!” He slammed the newly installed door shut and ran as fast as he could to doughnut shop.

If he remembered correctly, Nora gets out at 2-ish. If he could wait it out, then he could see if Garnet was working on the house again while Pearl and Dad were picking Nora up. He could do it, the cashier might hide him. He wiped the sweat on his brow, maybe he should hide somewhere else. Maybe the carwash? ‘ _ No, that’s the first place she’ll look. _ ’

“Steven, come back!” When had he stopped running? 

He glanced at the ground, ‘ _ sand, _ ’ he noted. Astonished by his lack of progress, he places his hand on the hot stone of the outside of the temple,  _ ‘I’m still on the beach! Dang it! _ ’

“No! You’re mean!”

“I’m sorry if what I said hurt your feelings, but it’s true!”

“Who cares if my feelings are hurt? Say sorry to Amethyst for saying all that mean stuff about her!”

“I-,” she almost looked  _ ashamed _ , “-I did go a bit too far, didn’t I?”

“And, then I just  _ left her there _ .” She swallowed, “I need to make this right, Steven. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting lately, I haven’t been handling things well ever since found out Nora was starting school.”

“Don’t apologize to me, save it for Amethyst!” He pushed her closer to the stairs.

They sat down on the stairwell, “No, no, you need to hear it too. I’m-,” she restarted her train of thought, “-It’s just this is a  _ big  _ change in routine. I know how Rose loved humans because they change all the time, it’s normal for them, they’re never the same even from moment to moment.” She clenched the star on her chest, “But it’s not normal for  _ us _ , it’s not normal for  ** _me_ ** .” 

“I wasn’t ready, I  _ might have _ gotten possessive of Nora.” He narrowed his eyes at her but otherwise made no comment. 

“And said and done some things to you and Amethyst that I shouldn’t have.” She stood up, determined, “I need to make this right, I’m sorry I’ve been lashing out on you lately.”

“It’s-,” Steven couldn’t think of a good response. It wasn’t okay, but she was sorry? Did that make it alright? His words came out sounding like a question, conviction unable to form on his lips, “Try not to do it again?” His dad said if someone was  _ truly  _ sorry, they wouldn’t do the thing they apologized for doing. She smiled even as tears slid down her face.

Pearl left soon after, Steven re-entered the shell of the beach house, away from the summer sun.

Pearl emerged in the Kindergarten, frantically searching for Amethyst’s gem. She didn’t even check before if it hadn’t gotten damaged, she was just so absorbed in proving herself right that she didn’t spare Amethyst a thought. Steven was right, she was being too cruel to Amethyst. Granted, they were opposites, but that didn’t necessarily mean that they needed to clash.

“Amethyst? Amethyst?” She scanned the ground for fallen injectors, there were many.

Had she reformed yet? Amethyst never took as nearly as long as the others or herself to reform, ‘ _ perhaps she was already wandering about or she was- _ ,’ Pearl froze, “In there.” She turned to face the lowest injector site. Lo and behold, Amethyst let out shaky breaths sitting on the ground, her back to Pearl. 

“Amethyst?” She sat next to her.

“Go away.”

“I-,”

“You think I  _ wanted  _ to be this way? I never asked to be made. I know you wanna pretend like  _ none  _ of this  _ ever  _ happened; you think I’m just a big mistake!”

“No, I-I had no idea this bothered you so much, but I never did make it easier for you, did I?”

“You’re not the mistake, you’re just the by-product of a-,” she blushed, “big mistake.”

Amethyst glared at her, “No, no. That’s not-, Amethyst,” Pearl’s eyes dimmed from a darkness she couldn’t speak of, “None of this is your fault. You didn’t build this place!”

“I never thought of any of this as  _ you, _ I’m sorry I led you to believe otherwise.”

“It’s not like it’s my entire existence or nothing!”

“I- you were the one good thing to come out of this place, and I made you think the polar opposite. I haven’t been too good to you or Steven lately, I’m sorry for what I did, will you ever forgive me?” Pearl offered her hand to Amethyst.

“Gee, I dunno.” She replied with a smirk and a belly full of laughter.

Opal gazed upon the Kindergarten with fresh eyes and a newfound sense of peace in her gems before unfusing.

“Fusion isn’t for leisure!” Pearl scolded.

_ ‘Back to square one, _ ’ Amethyst snickered.

“But it was nice, huh?” She sighed.

“Yeah, I guess it was.” Hand in hand, they were submerged in the familiar pale cyan beam of the warp.

“Amethyst! You’re back!” He tackled her in a hug, “I was so worried!” He pulled back when he felt skin instead of her usual attire, “What happened to your sleeves?”

She waved it off, “Oh, it was just easier to go without them. They get  _ snagged _ on things, you know.” 

She ruffled his hair fondly, “What’re you doing worrying about me, little man? You know I can take care of myself.”

“It’s just,” he looked away rubbing his arm, “you didn’t come back when Pearl did. What happened?”

He looked up at her, “It was real scary without you.”

“Oh, um, simple really: she won.” she thrusted her thumb toward Pearl, they had stopped holding hands just before they exited the warp stream.

“I needed to recover some before I came back.”

“Really? I thought-,” he hugged her one more time for good measure, “-I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah, me too.”

It was near midnight when something forced the young half-gem awake, a wave of itchiness flooded his senses, and he threw his comforter off of him. He hated these nights, they were often and they really got in the way of sleep. Nora was already taller than him, would he ever catch up? He got up and made his way toward his dad, of whom was snoring up a storm.

"Dad?" Steven's pajamas were never buttoned up fully, it was just one of those facts of life.

Greg woke to the fabric of his shirt being tugged and a line of drool down the right side of his cheek, "What is it, Schtu-ball?" He wiped it off with his arm.

Steven’s arm covered his gem, "I'm cold." 

"One of those nights, huh?"

"Yeah." 

‘ _ Wasn’t there one four days ago?’ _ Steven won’t be able to get any sleep if the frequency of these nights keep rising, it used to be a monthly thing, then a tri-weekly thing, then a  _ bi _ -weekly thing. Greg didn’t know what to do if it becomes a daily thing. It was becoming abundantly clear as the days go on that Steven  _ needed _ to move in with the Gems. He needed a sterile environment to sleep, and he---he just couldn’t provide that.

"You know what that means? I gotta wash your sheets again. You think you can stay up with me until they're done?"

The boy nodded, albeit drowsily.

"Do you wanna head by the temple? Or wash off in Pearl's room?"

“Pearl hates it when I do that, but, um, you think Garnet will let me in her room again?”

“Maybe? It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

A quick jog to the temple, with teddy bear in tow, later, “Garnet?” DJ Bear Bear was being dragged by his arm.

“Oh, hello, Steven.” Garnet had been working almost nonstop on the beach house, the air smelled strongly of sawdust, instead of  _ faintly  _ of sawdust when people aren’t working on it.

“I’m cold.” Was all he said; it was all he needed to say. 

She opened the door to the burning room, “Remember, don’t touch the lava, I’ll come get you when Greg arrives.”

“Thanks, Garnet.”

Garnet returned to see him curled up in a ball near the lava pit. Steven only ever felt normal while he was inside the temple, nothing ever aggravated his gem there.

“Steven?” Asleep, Rose’s offspring had used his stuffed bear as a pillow.

Steven stirred from his sleep when Garnet picked him up, “Greg’s done washing your blanket now.”

“Oh, okay.” He buried himself deeper into Garnet’s chest, clinging to her ambient warmth. Steven was so small contrasted to Garnet, then again, everyone was small compared to Garnet. She had vowed years ago to help raise him with Greg and the other Crystal Gems. She hoped she was doing a decent job, her components had worried that her stoic nature would make her seem unapproachable. She wanted him to know he could be open with her, but she always appeared closed off.

She set him down in the van, he wrapped himself up in the covers. Steven’s gem didn’t generate heat like hers; his gem always matched his temperature, if he was cold it was cold; if he was hot, his gem was hot too. 

“I love you, Steven.” If she couldn’t show it, she’d just have to say it.

“Love you too, Garnet.” The toddler murmured back.

She didn’t mind that one bit.

**Author's Note:**

> [You guys down for this?](https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xePHzOPZhpYntCC37abCgAC84ouNEmoEz2D3IstkPSI)
> 
> Just an idea that I was gonna keep this one to myself, _but_ having a co-writer was really fun, so I'm gonna post it.
> 
> ((Don't click the link if you don't wanna be spoiled))


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